The linguistic expression of gender identity
"Albania's "sworn virgins
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4178174 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Carly Dickerson (The Ohio State University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2019 |
| Volume | 2019 |
| Issue | 256 |
| Pages | 57-83 |
| Publication date | 2019-02-25 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Journal of the Sociology of Language (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0165-2516 • E-ISSN: 1613-3668 |
| Publisher | Walter de Gruyter GmbH (PUBLISHER • DE) |
| DOI | 10.1515/ijsl-2018-2012 |
| OpenAlex | W2564516673 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 21 |
This article focuses on the linguistic aspects of the construction of masculine identities by theburrneshat(also known as "sworn virgins") of northern Albania: biological females who have become "social men". Unlike other "third genders" (Kulick, Don. 1999. Transgender and language: A review of the literature and suggestions for the future.GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies5(4). 605622.), theburrneshatare motivated not by personal identity or sexual desire, but by the need to fulfill patriarchal roles within a traditional social code.Burrneshatdo not marry or engage in sexual relationships, and are thus seen as honorable and self-sacrificing (Young, Antonia. 2000.Women who become men: Albanian sworn virgins. Oxford & New York: Berg.). How doburrneshatconstruct and express their identity linguistically, and how do others engage with this identity? I examine the effects of social and linguistic factors on variation in the use of grammatical gender in the speech ofburrneshatand others in their communities. I find that choices in grammatical gender are linked to the speaker's relationship toburrneshat, the grammatical context of the token, and whether the token is in oral or written language. An analysis of other gendered practices confirms language's role in building masculine identities. Situated within a culture that embraces women becoming men, this study sheds light onto the linguistic practices used by speakers in the co-construction of gender
Aesthetics · Gender identity · Human sexuality · Language and gender · Lesbian · Linguistics · Sexual identity · Sexual orientation · Situated · Sociology · Transgender · Gender Studies · Gender Studies in Language · History · Linguistic Variation and Morphology · Psychology · Translation Studies and Practices
Style
How sexually dimorphic are we? Review and synthesis
Transgender and Language
Structural priming
Language and gender in an age of neoliberalism
Do bodies matter
Marking in discourse
"Balkan Societies of "Social Men
Some notes on adjectival articles in Albanian
Evidence that gendered wording in job advertisements exists and sustains gender inequality
Stress Uniformity in Albanian
Language and woman's place
The `Berdache'/`Two-Spirit
Engendering Song
The Gender of Brazilian Transgendered Prostitutes
The arrangement between the sexes
| Unique citing works | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2023 - 2026 (4) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |